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In this report, we investigated a new rare earth based one-dimensional Ising spin chain magnet~\DNG~by means of magnetization, specific heat and powder neutron diffraction measurements. Due to the crystalline electrical field splitting, the magnetic Dy ions share an Ising like ground doublet state. Owning to the local point symmetry, these Ising moments form into two canted magnetic sublattices, which were further confirmed by the angle-dependent magnetization measurement. In zero fields, two successive antiferromagnetic phase transitions were found at temperatures $T_{\mathrm{N1}}=6~\rm K$ and $T_{\mathrm{N2}}=5~\rm K$, respectively. Only part of the moments are statically ordered in this intermediate state between $T_{\mathrm{N1}}$ and $T_{\mathrm{N2}}$. Powder neutron diffraction experiments at different temperatures were performed as well. An incommensurate magnetic propagation vector of $\mathbf{k_{\rm m}}=(0.5,0.4,0.5)$ was identified. The refined spin configurations through the irreducible representation analysis confirmed that these Ising spins are canted in the crystal $ab$~plane., 9 pages, 7 figures

Tight junction proteins are important for the maintenance and repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier. The present study investigated relationships among tight junction protein gene expression, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection, and intestinal mucosal morphology in piglets. We compared the expression of six tight junction proteins (ZO-1, ZO-2, Occludin, Claudin-1, Claudin-4, and Claudin-5) between seven-day-old piglets infected with PEDV and normal piglets, as well as in PEDV-infected porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2). We also evaluated differences in mucosal morphology between PEDV-infected and normal piglets. The expression of six tight junction protein genes was lower in PEDV-infected piglets than in the normal animals. The expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, Occludin, and Claudin-4 in the intestine tissue was significantly lower (p⟨0.05) in PEDV-infected than in normal piglets. The expression of Claudin-5 in the jejunum was significantly lower in PEDV-infected piglets than in the normal animals (p⟨0.01). The expression of Claudin-1 and Claudin-5 genes in the ileum was significantly higher in PEDV-infected piglets than in normal piglets (p⟨0.01). Morphologically, the intestinal mucosa in PEDV-infected piglets exhibited clear pathological changes, including breakage and shedding of intestinal villi. In PEDV-infected IPEC-J2 cells, the mRNA expression of the six tight junction proteins showed a downward trend; in particular, the expression of the Occludin and Claudin-4 genes was significantly lower (p⟨0.01). These data suggest that the expression of these six tight junction proteins, especially Occludin and Claudin-4, plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier and resistance to PEDV infection in piglets.

The breathing pyrochlore lattice material Ba

Low dimensional quantum magnets are interesting because of the emerging collective behavior arising from strong quantum fluctuations. The one-dimensional (1D) S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet is a paradigmatic example, whose low-energy excitations, known as spinons, carry fractional spin S = 1/2. These fractional modes can be reconfined by the application of a staggered magnetic field. Even though considerable progress has been made in the theoretical understanding of such magnets, experimental realizations of this low-dimensional physics are relatively rare. This is particularly true for rare-earth-based magnets because of the large effective spin anisotropy induced by the combination of strong spin–orbit coupling and crystal field splitting. Here, we demonstrate that the rare-earth perovskite YbAlO3 provides a realization of a quantum spin S = 1/2 chain material exhibiting both quantum critical Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid behavior and spinon confinement–deconfinement transitions in different regions of magnetic field–temperature phase diagram., Low dimensional quantum magnetic excitations are intriguing but the experimental realizations are challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate Tomonaga–Luttinger behavior and spinon confinement in rare-earth perovskite YbAlO3 by inelastic neutron scattering measurements.

The fundamental excitations in an antiferromagnetic chain of spins-1/2 are spinons, de-confined fractional quasiparticles that when combined in pairs, form a triplet excitation continuum. In an Ising-like spin chain the continuum is gapped and the ground state is Néel ordered. Here, we report high resolution neutron scattering experiments, which reveal how a magnetic field closes this gap and drives the spin chains in Yb2Pt2Pb to a critical, disordered Luttinger-liquid state. In Yb2Pt2Pb the effective spins-1/2 describe the dynamics of large, Ising-like Yb magnetic moments, ensuring that the measured excitations are exclusively longitudinal, which we find to be well described by time-dependent density matrix renormalization group calculations. The inter-chain coupling leads to the confinement of spinons, a condensed matter analog of quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics. Insensitive to transverse fluctuations, our measurements show how a gapless, dispersive longitudinal mode arises from confinement and evolves with magnetic order., The behavior of quantum magnets depends strongly on the effective dimensionality of the inter-spin interactions. Here the authors tune the influence of two- and three-dimensional couplings in Yb2Pt2Pb with a magnetic field and hence control the behavior of emergent one-dimensional excitations.

Runoff and soil loss affect both farmland productivity and environmental quality. This study tested the interaction effects among polyacrylamide (PAM) application rate, PAM molecular weight, and slope gradient on runoff and soil loss under simulated sprinkler irrigation in laboratory. Experimental treatments consisted of four PAM application rates of 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g m-2, two PAM molecular weights of 12 and 18 Mg mol-1, and three slope gradients of 5o, 15o, and 25o. Results indicated that compared with the control treatment, PAM application generally decreased total runoff volume but increased soil loss. Total runoff volume and soil loss increased with the increased PAM application rate. Under control treatment, total runoff volume increased with the increased slope gradient. However, total runoff volume was similar for different slope gradients when PAM application rates were 0.5 and 1.0 g m-2, but it decreased with the increased slope gradient when PAM application rate was 2.0 g m-2. Total soil loss increased with the increase of slope gradient under experimental conditions. Polyacrylamide molecular weight did not affect total runoff volume but did soil loss significantly atP< 0.001, and a high PAM molecular weight resulted in less soil loss than a low one did. Statistical analysis demonstrated that there existed a significant interaction effect atP< 0.001 between PAM application rate and soil slope gradient on runoff volume and soil loss. The interaction effects between PAM molecular weight and slope gradient or among PAM application rate, PAM molecular weight, and slope gradient on soil loss were also significant atP< 0.01. A PAM application rate less than 2 g m-2is suggested to control water and soil loss on sloped lands under sprinkler irrigation.

The effect of TiO2 content on the phase compositions of sinter was conducted under reaction equilibrium at oxygen partial pressure of 5×10−3 atm. The results showed that TiO2 mainly existed in the phase of perovskite. With the increase in TiO2 content, the content of secondary hematite phase increased and the ratio of hematite and magnetite in the sinter phase decreased. Meanwhile, the ratio of perovskite and Ca2SiO4 increased and the increased level of perovskite was larger than that of the Ca2SiO4 phase. The volume fraction of the phase silico-ferrite of calcia and alumina decreased from 44·9 to 41·5%, and the chemical formula of silico-ferrite of calcia and alumina changed from 4·7CaO.9·2Fe2O3.Al2O3.2·3SiO2 to 1·6CaO.4·9Fe2O3.Al2O3.1·8SiO2 when the percentage of TiO2 was from 0 to 12 mass-% in the sinter.

Hydroponic culture experiments were conducted to study the mechanism by which alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) regulate nitrogen (N) metabolism in flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. var. utilis Tsen et Lee). Enzyme activities involved in N-metabolism [e.g., nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate synthetase (GOGAT)] can be activated by calcium ions (Ca2+), but whether AOS also regulate N-metabolism via Ca2+ ions is still not clear. In this study, several inhibitors of Ca2+ ion metabolism [e.g. ethyleneglycol-bis-(2-aminoethylether)-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), verapamil, chlorpromazine, or ruthenium red] were added separately to the nutrient solution. As a result, the total-N concentrations in leaves decreased by 15.0 - 44.5%, and the activities of NR and GS in Chinese cabbage leaves were reduced by 2.8 - 14.5% and by 32.6 - 73.5%, respectively. This resulted in a decrease in plant yield [i.e, the fresh weights (FWs) of shoots] of between 4.4 - 27.2% compared to leaves following an AOS-only treatment. The sub-cellular distribution of Ca2+ ions suggested that the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration required to activate N-metabolism, caused by AOS, may be due primarily to an influx of extracellular Ca2+ rather than the release of cytosolic Ca2+ ions. These preliminary results confirm that Ca2+ ions are involved in the regulation of N-metabolism in flowering Chinese cabbage which can be induced by exogenous AOS.

The low energy spin excitation spectrum of the breathing pyrochlore Ba_{3}Yb_{2}Zn_{5}O_{11} has been investigated with inelastic neutron scattering. Several nearly resolution limited modes with no observable dispersion are observed at 250 mK while, at elevated temperatures, transitions between excited levels become visible. To gain deeper insight, a theoretical model of isolated Yb^{3+} tetrahedra parametrized by four anisotropic exchange constants is constructed. The model reproduces the inelastic neutron scattering data, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility with high fidelity. The fitted exchange parameters reveal a Heisenberg antiferromagnet with a very large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Using this model, we predict the appearance of an unusual octupolar paramagnet at low temperatures and speculate on the development of intertetrahedron correlations.

There are many methods of evaluating the performance of nano self-cleaning anti-fouling coatings, such as carbon blacking method, coating reflection coefficient method, glass microbead method, film method, contact angle and rolling angle method, organic degradation method, and the application of performance evaluation method in self-cleaning antifouling coating. For the more, the types of nano self-cleaning anti-fouling coatings based on aqueous media was described, such as photocatalytic self-cleaning coatings, silicone coatings, organic fluorine coatings, fluorosilicone coatings, fluorocarbon coatings, polysilazane self-cleaning coatings. The research and application of different kinds of nano self-cleaning antifouling coatings are anlysised, and the latest research results are summed.

Summary Netherton's syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations of the SPINK5 gene, which encodes the lymphoepithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor (LEKTI) protein. We observed microstructural changes and detected LEKTI activity and SPINK5 gene mutation in three Chinese patients with Netherton's syndrome. Decreased LEKTI activity was found in the skin of patients. Lamellar bodies and foci of electron-dense material were detected in the intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum. A novel homozygous splicing mutation of 1430 + 2 TG was found in the SPINK5 gene in one proband. No mutation was found in the other family.

Exotic quantum states and fractionalized magnetic excitations, such as spinons in one-dimensional chains, are generally expected to occur in 3d transition metal systems with spin 1/2. Our neutron-scattering experiments on the 4f-electron metal Yb2Pt2Pb overturn this conventional wisdom. We observe broad magnetic continuum dispersing in only one direction, which indicates that the underlying elementary excitations are spinons carrying fractional spin-1/2. These spinons are the emergent quantum dynamics of the anisotropic, orbital-dominated Yb moments. Owing to their unusual origin, only longitudinal spin fluctuations are measurable, whereas the transverse excitations such as spin waves are virtually invisible to magnetic neutron scattering. The proliferation of these orbital spinons strips the electrons of their orbital identity, resulting in charge-orbital separation.

The common problem existed in power system is analyzed in this paper. The main reason for the affection of the safe and stable operation to power equipment is flash-over caused by dirt and discharge. Using the self-cleaning anti-pollution coating in the power equipment surface is the key to solve the problem. In the work, the research progress and design principle about the self-cleaning anti-pollution coating was summarized. Furthermore, the preparation technology was also studied. Finally, the application prospect of hard self-cleaning anti-pollution coating in power system was forecast.

The epidemiological and clinical characterization data of skin malignancies and premalignancies in Chinese population is scarce and inadequate.To systematically investigate the clinical features and the trend of skin malignancies and premalignancies in 1420 Chinese cases.A total of 1398 patients (presenting 1420 skin tumours) were included. Clinical and demographic information for every individual was collected, including age, age of onset, sex, lesion location, disease duration and tumour histology, which was analyzed for each type of skin tumours.The number of skin malignancies and premalignancies increased over time, with Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) as the most common type (30.5%). The majority of the patients were above 60 years of age both at onset and at diagnosis (52.8% and 62.9%, respectively), yet around one-third of patients were between 35-59 years (35.3% and 31.2%, respectively). Skin malignancies and premalignancies were mainly located in the head and neck (58.6%), followed by the trunk (18.3%) and the extremities (15.0%). Of all BCCs, nodular BCC was the most common histologic subtype (62.8%), while 15.8% were classified as aggressive subtypes. Malignant melanoma (MM) comprised the lowest proportion of 3.7%, with 75% located on extremities. The diagnostic accordance rates varied from 49.5% to 90.4%, with BCC being 67.9%.The clinical features of skin malignancies and premalignancies in this study showed some similarities with those observed in Caucasian and other Asian populations, with several distinguished features in Chinese patients also being recognized. Closer attention to suspicious lesions in young and middle-aged people is needed.

A new scheme for x‐ray grazing incidence diffraction (GID) under total external reflection conditions is presented. This simple scheme allows the grazing angles and the scattering angles to be adjusted independently so that the structural and/or the chemical profiles of materials can be determined at controlled depths. As an example, Si1−xGex/Si superlattice materials were studied. Both commensurate and incommensurate growths between the two quantum wells in the strained‐layer superlattice were observed by the GID technique.

The authors examine YBa2Cu3O7- delta thin films grown by DC magnetron sputtering on SrTiO3 substrates by using X-ray double crystal diffraction, X-ray topography and SEM, etc. Various microstructural and compositional parameters of the specimens with higher and lower critical current density (Jc) are compared. It is found that the Jc is closely correlated to the structural perfectness, the compositional uniformity and the grain orientation of the thin films. There is some evidence to show that the intrinsic and surface quality of the substrates influences the quality of the thin films. An optimum procedure for the surface polishing of SrTiO3 substrates is proposed. In addition, a remarkable influence of the growth procedure on the quality of the thin films is also reported.

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy has become a new way in the treatment of tumors due to its noninvasive advantage. However, as for the HIFU nonlinear propagation and temperature field in human body in relation to practice HIFU therapy, there are few studies on numerical simulation based on models conforming to practical situation. In this study, we report a numerical method of finite difference time domain (FDTD) for analyzing HIFU temperature field in human body tissues and demonstrate it through a model of 3D breast tissues. The calculation of HIFU propagation in human body tissues is done using Euler's equation of motion and continuity, which combines nonlinear ultrasound propagation with a bulk modulus and an attenuation parameter. The Pennes Bio-heat transfer equation is used to calculate temperature distribution. The simulation results of the temperature field of HIFU in human body tissues in case of different excitation function frequency and excitation function average ultrasound power densities (USPD) are reported.

Sustainability aims to harmonise life on Earth without compromising the essential natural resources that should be the birthright of future generations. 'Sustainable medicine' (SM) is just one component of the wide range of possible sustainable approaches to peaceful co-existence. Sustainable medicine envisions an uncomplicated system of maintaining the health of people and animals, both now and for many years to come. This type of medicine is based on ancient wisdom, knowledge and healing arts, combined with the advantages and technical achievements of modern science and other areas of medicine; it is an integrated approach to preventive, safe and affordable healing. The term sustainable medicine also implies that the main therapeutic materials used in the course of practising this type of medicine can be replaced or replenished with minimal environmental damage after harvesting. The aim of sustainable medicine is to maintain the balance of nature, allowing an estimated 7 to 100 million species of life forms to co-exist and reproduce, and to sustain the long-term future of this planet. The world is in the midst of an environmental crisis: anthropogenic environmental damage in the last century was greater than in any previous century. One of the major concerns is the misuse of medicines, and the resulting immune depletion in people and animals. Many traditional medical systems have taught that appropriate adaptation by, and of, an effective defence system is the key to health and survival. This is only possible if priority is given to a preventive rather than a curative approach to health care; the very same approach that is advocated by proponents of SM: an approach based on proper diagnosis and the use of personalised, tailor-made medicine. The authors propose SM (the combination of the advantages of modern, traditional and complementary medical systems) as the best approach to providing better health care services for people and animals. The article presents a brief history of traditional medicines and outlines strategies for developing SM. The authors highlight some important factors in the development of SM in animal health care and attempt to encourage veterinarians to adopt a sustainable approach to treating animals.

In ongoing research, a collaborative peer network application is being proposed to address the scalability limitations of centralized search engines. Here we introduce a local adaptive routing algorithm used to dynamically change the topology of the peer network based on a simple learning scheme driven by query response interactions among neighbors. We test the algorithm via simulations with 70 model users based on actual Web crawls. We find that the network topology rapidly converges from a random network to a small world network, with emerging clusters that match the user communities with shared interests.

A tunable coherent blue light source with a tuning range of 430–470 nm has been built. Tunable blue radiation was obtained by intracavity frequency doubling of a Ti:Al2O3 laser in KNbO3 crystals. The titanium sapphire laser was operated in a pulsed mode pumped by the second harmonic of a Q‐switched Nd:YAG laser. An infrared to blue conversion of 45% and a total conversion efficiency (532 nm to tunable blue) of 2% were reached.

A case-control study of xerophthalmia (120 cases, two with corneal disease; 3377 children without xerophthalmia, 12 to 60 months of age) was conducted in the rural plains of Nepal. Relative household wealth (ownership of animals and goods, house quality) and social standing (parental education, nondaily laboring, more affluent castes) were inversely related to risk of xerophthalmia. Mothers of cases were more likely to have had children die than mothers of controls (odds ratio, 1.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.22 to 2.78); case households were more likely to have had a young child die in the past year (odds ratio, 2.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.43 to 5.67). Children with xerophthalmia were more wasted and stunted than controls, although these associations largely disappeared after adjusting for socioeconomic influences. Frequency of breast-feeding was highly protective against xerophthalmia in a dose-response manner (odds ratio, 0.32 for 1 to 10 times a day, 0.12 for10 times a day) after adjusting for age and other factors. The risk of xerophthalmia rose directly with reported duration of dysentery in the previous week (odds ratio, 2.13 and 5.81 for durations of 1 to 6 days andor = 7 days, respectively, vs none). Mild xerophthalmia is reflective of a lower, local standard of living within which child health, nutrition, and survival are compromised.

The fecal and plasma progesterone profiles during the estrous cycle and pregnancy in swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) were investigated in this study. The stability of progesterone presented in blood obtained from pregnant cows was also examined. Five pregnant and 5 cycling cows were used. A 5-10 gm fecal sample along with 5 ml of blood was collected from each animal. Samples were taken from pregnant cows once weekly until parturition and from non-pregnant cows 3 times weekly for a period of 2 months. The plasma was separated from the blood and stored, along with the fecal sample at-20 C. The progesterone values were then measured using an enzyme immunoassay.

The nonopioid kappa agonist analgesic amine, DuP 747, as a hydrochloride salt exhibited an aqueous solubility of 3 mg/ml. This solubility was insufficient to provide the desired dose in a solution formulation for intramuscular administration. Aqueous solutions of the hydrochloride salt exerted surface activity behavior; however, the critical micellar concentration (CMC) was not reached at the saturation solubility. Enhanced aqueous solubility required to reach the CMC could lead to micellization of the compound and a possible i.m. solution formula. The methanesulfonate salt was more water soluble than the hydrochloride salt and yielded a micellar solution with a concentration of 60 mg/ml.

Patellar malalignment is difficult to diagnose, but can respond well to conservative care. This paper discusses the clinical and radiographic diagnostic features of patellar malalignment, as well as conservative care for this condition.

Based on temperature-dependent refractive-index data of orthorhombic KNbO3 [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. B9, 380 ( 1992)], we analyze various nonlinear-optical second-order interactions. Phase-matching curves as a function of wavelength, propagation direction, and temperature are given. Both type I and type II phase matching are found to be possible in KNbO3 for second-harmonic generation and for sum-frequency generation and optical parametric oscillation. To demonstrate the precision of the calculations based on the new refractive-index data, we compare experimentally measured values with calculated values of acceptance angles, phase-matching angles, and phase-matching temperatures for some specific cases. A temperature-tuned optical parametric oscillator employing KNbO3 is demonstrated. Good agreement is found between calculated and experimental results.

Specification of biologistics for future space stations will require accurate and standardized sets of environmental specifications, nutritional data, and metabolic calculations, which must take into account the effects of prolonged weightlessness (or hypogravity in the case of a rotating space station). It is proposed that the catabolic effects of weightlessness on the musculoskeletal system, and indirectly on the cardiovascular system, should be related to the daily work output of the body. By controlled diets and exercises, astronauts could be "titrated" to their normal earth (or other prescribed) metabolic rates. (This hypothesis is, of course, subject to verification in space.) A coincident, desirable result of this metabolic approach is that biologistics for all types of spacecraft and space stations can be calculated (or, better, experimentally determined) in standard units per man-day without regard to the metabolic effects of variable gravity. A table of biological specifications is developed and then applied, with associated engineering constraints and tradeoffs on requirements for power supply, heat rejection, and integration of the power system with the life-support system, to describe optimum life-support requirements for 30to 100-day missions.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the adrenocortical function of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Male rats of Wistar strain, weighing 200-250 gm were used. The results indicated that the adrenocortical response to stress and exogenous corticotropin (ACTH1-24) is decreased during the early diabetic stages (up to 6 days). Evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies shows that the depression is caused by the toxicity of alloxan on the adrenal cortex cells and not by the sudden rise of blood glucose levels. Streptozotocin (another diabetogen) has the same effect as alloxan on adrenal cortex cells.